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Aptis General · Writing · Part 4 · B2

Writing Part 4: the formal email in four paragraphs

Template for the formal email in Part 4 of Aptis General Writing: four paragraphs, fixed formulas and advanced linkers, with video and mini-quizzes.

3 min video (Spanish narration)5 mini-quizzesB2

1/5The two emails in Part 4

Part 4 of General Writing asks you for two emails: first an informal one to a friend and then a formal one to a company or an authority. According to the official guide, the informal one is 40–50 words and the formal one 120–150.

The guide recommends less than 3 minutes for Part 1, less than 7 for Part 2 and less than 10 for Part 3; Part 4 gets the remaining time. Even so, the clock is tight: if you stop to think about how to begin or which linkers to use, you end up with an unfinished text. That is why it pays to have your templates learned.

Check what you have learnt

You need 2 out of 3
1.Which two emails do you have to write in Part 4 of General Writing?
2.Roughly how many words do the informal and the formal emails have?
3.If you have learned your templates, what advantage do you get in the exam?

2/5Email 1 (informal)

The informal email should sound natural and direct; there is no need to invent anything elaborate. The model follows five steps: a friendly greeting, your immediate reaction, your honest opinion in one sentence, a question to your friend and a short closing.

  • Hi Sara, how are things?
  • Did you hear the news about the club? I was completely shocked.
  • Let me know what you think.

Check what you have learnt

You need 2 out of 3
1.How does the model open the informal email?
2.Which elements does the informal email model include?
3.How does the model close the informal email?

3/5Email 2 (formal): four paragraphs

The formal email is the one that weighs most when aiming for C1, and it requires a formal register: avoid contractions and always write I am and do not.

The structure is clear, in four paragraphs: 1) the formal reason for writing, 2) why you think the measure is ill-advised, 3) an alternative or constructive proposal and 4) the closing formula.

Check what you have learnt

You need 2 out of 3
1.What do you do with contractions in the formal email?
2.What is the order of the four paragraphs in the formal email?
3.What goes in the third paragraph?

4/5Fixed formulas for the formal email

Examiners look for complex grammatical structures. These sentences from the model work as a template; memorise them and change only the topic.

  • I am writing to express my strong dissatisfaction with the recent decision regarding…
  • Having been an active member of this club for over three years, I believe that…
  • I would like to suggest an alternative solution that might prove beneficial for all members.
  • Yours faithfully, (if you do not know the recipient's name)

Check what you have learnt

You need 2 out of 3
1.How does the model open the formal email?
2.What does “Having been an active member of this club for over three years, I believe that…” contribute?
3.If you do not know the recipient's name, how do you close the formal email?

5/5Advanced linkers

If you use but and and all the time, the text sounds basic. Replace them with more advanced linkers, but three or four well-integrated ones are enough: they show ease without overloading the text.

  • instead of also: furthermore / moreover
  • instead of because: owing to the fact that
  • for your formal opinion: it is my firm conviction that

Check what you have learnt

You need 2 out of 3
1.What does the model use instead of “also”?
2.Which advanced alternative to “because” does the video suggest?
3.How should you use these linkers?

·How to practise

Practise by writing both emails back to back with the clock running. When you finish, check that the formal one has no contractions, that it has all four paragraphs and that it meets the 120–150 words.

Put it together

Now, practise

Write the formal email of 120 to 150 words with the four paragraphs, no contractions, an opening formula, a participle structure and at least two advanced linkers.

Do it in the online mock exam Get it corrected in the bot